Final Retribution
by Squirrelly Siege
Summary: What happens when four family members are dead, one friend is comatose and Raph is the only one left to seek revenge?


Gary Shamlian

Creative Writing

Final Retribution

The sun's rays bounced off of building windows like they were multi-faceted diamonds, trying to spread light to the darkest corners of the city, to bring some warmth to a metropolis that has long lost the ability to feel anything other than cold...at least for those that still feel.

On the surface, New York City was like any other city with its towering skyscrapers to make heads rise in wonder as feet walked over unseen filth. In the distance, a scream can be heard if those within hearing distance cared to listen; however the average inhabitant only watched out for themselves. Alleyways held a danger altogether different for those foolish or unaware enough to wander those dark passageways as leering, beady eyes peer out from the darkness waiting, hoping for a new victim to prey upon. New York is a haven for human aberrations, but these were not freaks of nature for they all appeared normal physically; the abnormalities that affected those whom roamed the streets were those of the mind. Horrible deeds crept through the dreams and waking thoughts of the surface denizens; deeds that would on occasion play out for real on the murky stage of asphalt.

Beneath the city lies a different type of darkness and filth, but the lives of those who dwelled here held hearts more pure and courageous than those above. Below the streets the city sewer system wound its way through a maze of passages. Traveling deeper through the corridors the thudding sounds of something heavy hitting a softer object could be heard echoing off the slime covered tunnel walls.

Hidden buried within the sewer there was an unusual abode that housed a most peculiar group of beings. There was one in particular that was making the hard sounds as he repeatedly punched a heavy bag that had been through many crude repairs. What made this being so peculiar was not just the fact that he dwelled in the sewers of New York City, but more in his appearance. He stood about five feet tall, heavily muscled and was covered in the dark green scales of a turtle complete with a shell on his back. He is one of five by-products of a radioactive chemical spill almost 25 years ago. It was in these sewers that his mutated birth took place and it was here that he and his three brothers were trained in the arts of Ninjutsu by their Sensei, Master Splinter.

All around the room were scattered various martial arts training equipment. In one corner there were katana, the sword of a ninja, and in another there was a bo which is the six foot staff usually used by an Asian fighting monk. A wooden dummy with two sai, a different type of Ninjutsu weapon that could be used as a stabbing blade or baton, stuck in its chest and head. On the floor lay two nunchakus, which are two eight inch long wooden rods joined together by a chain. Stored on the wall, one could say almost reverently, was a long bow and beside it a quiver of arrows. Looking past the martial weapons, one could look into a dark corner and see a table strewn with electronic equipment. Various toggles, buttons, and electrical housings were haphazardly placed onto the table with wires, some bare and others with a plastic sheath, connected to each. There were also several small lamps next to the electronic menagerie. Beside the table, there were a collection of larger spotlights, most taken apart or being pieced together.

The mutant turtle beat mercilessly on the sand filled bag as images of the past coursed through his mind. Memories almost five years old assailed him with every punch that he threw raising his ire exponentially. Loved ones put in pain, a demon in an armored mask, and blood scattered everywhere both of comrades and enemies alike were all that the young warrior could see as his hands flew out against the canvas and taped target. Sweat poured into his eyes, stinging them, but he felt nothing; this pain was inconsequential compared that the one in his heart. Another flurry of punches hit their mark until the bag could take no more and finally ruptured, spilling sand out across the floor.

"Damn, Raph! Whatever it did to tick you off, I'm pretty sure it learned its lesson!" A voice called out from the shadows.

Raphael looked up as a young girl walked her way over the mess of the spilt bag. He ignored her comment, making his way over to a table which held a large tub instead. The child watched as Raph carried the tub over to the sand pile, placed it down and slowly knelt and began scooping the silicone victim of his rage in. Shadow has watched this ceremony many times and has never truly understood the meaning behind it. _It's a reminder_, the turtle had told her a while ago when she first asked. _It's a reminder and a punishment of sorts. That night, my family died because I gave in to my rage and couldn't control myself. Now, whenever this bag falls apart due my lack of control, I vowed to replace every single speck of sand and mend the bag. I hope that some day this will teach me the patience that I never learned under Master Splinter's teaching. _That conversation was almost five years ago and the adolescent has watched this act many times since.

The reptilian warrior stopped his actions and raised his head up getting caught in Shadow's gaze and saw pity reflect back at him. He cast his eyes back down at the pile of sand, then shifted over to the worn bag and knew immediately what she was thinking. He stood up and dusted off his knees.

"Ahem…so, what…ummm…brings you down here?" He asked hoping to deflect the thoughts that were creeping into his own head.

"Sensei wanted me to come and get you for lunch. He made some weird octopus thing." At this she made a face, "I know he's from some sort of Japan and all, but yech!"

Raph smiled, "Sounds tempting, but I've got some things to do. I'll have to grab lunch on the run."

"You always have 'some things to do'. What is it that you're doing and when are you going to let me come with you?"

"Sorry kid, but these are my 'lone wolf' missions and I can't afford to have around a 'cub'. I tell you what though, later tonight I'll take you out on the bike. How's that sound?" He hoped that this would placate her and he would not have to explain anymore.

Shadow looked thoughtful for a second, "Alright, you're off the hook this time, but one of these days I'm not going to give in so easily."

Once again the corners of Raph's mouth turned up and then he took a closer look at the young girl. He reached a hand up to her hair.

"Did you dye your hair?" The purple locks slipped through his fingers, cascading back down to her shoulders.

She beamed up at him, "Yeah! What d'ya think? Now I look just like that ninja girl from the comics. All I need now is the mind powers and I can start kicking butt just like her."

"Yeah, well, I think your mom's going to freak when she sees this. Does she know what you've done?"

Shadow stopped her martial arts mimicry and looked down at the ground dejectedly. "Nah. Not that she would care or that I see her. Besides, she isn't my mother." She kicked at the ground half-heartedly as she spoke.

"C'mon kid, you know that ain't fair. She's doing the best she can, but it's not easy for her, I mean somebody has to earn the money here and it's not like somebody's going to hire me, except maybe a circus." That got a light smile from her.

"I know, but she could try a little bit harder to be around more. I mean, ever since dad…well…you know…" She stumbled over this last sentence and both companions got silent as a solemn air cast over them. Raph was the first to recover from the moment, but the little girl was not too far behind raising her head as tears streamed down her face. She ran over to her green friend and he lowered down to catch her in an embrace. Digging her face into his chest, she just sobbed.

"I know, I know. I miss him too. And so does April, which is why you have to try a little bit harder to be nice to her. She may not be your real mom, but she loves you more than any biological mom could. Promise me you'll cut her a little slack, okay?" He pushed her away, holding her at arm's length, leveled a glance into her grey eyes. She wiped her arm across her eyes, streaking the tears over her face and nodded, "I'll try, but I can't promise anything, I mean I'm still twelve years old."

Raphael stood and mussed up her purple streaked hair, "I'll take what I can get at this point. I have to get going and I know you don't want to miss Sensei Usagi's wonderful meal." He laughed at the face she made at this. "So, why don't you get cleaned up? If he sees that you've been crying, he'll get all kinds of worried and you'll never hear the end of it." He gently prodded the pre-teen towards the washroom.

She snuffled one last time and beamed up at him again, looking like any other kid who did not have the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. "Alright, but all I can say is that after this meal, he better go easy on me during training." With that they both left the training room to go their separate ways.

Unbeknownst to either one, a figure stood off in one of the far tunnels leading out of the room and into the sewers. The woman had her back against the wall and tears went unchecked from her eyes adding to the moisture on the sewer floor. April had heard the conversation and the mention of Shadow's dad, her husband; she could not contain her grief even after all this time had passed. Her hand went up to her eyes as she weakly slid down to the ground and quietly sobbed.

Some say that a building takes on the energy of those who inhabitant it and there are some who have the ability to see this aura getting a clear idea of the personalities of the ones who lived there. If that is true, then there would be many structures in New York that would radiate darkness; however one building in particular would shine the color of purest black. The Oroku Building is home to the city's worst being and housed a business of evil that is both very lucrative financially and terrorizing physically. It is in this building that the Foot Clan, an organization of ninja and thugs, resided. The Foot was run by Oroku Saki, a Japanese businessman to most who knew him and The Shredder to his group of underground cutthroats and those who see him in the last few seconds of their life before he slays them. High atop the Oroku Building is the penthouse suite where Oroku Saki called home and conducted his business in the various offices. Even though his body held a black heart with no room for compassion, he still held true to some of the ancient traditions of Japan including Feng Shui, an art that increases the flow of energy in an environment by the strategic placement of all the elements within. This is evident to any visitor of the Japanese entrepreneur's abode as they would look around and see exquisite Asian artwork, finely crafted sculptures and weaponry, and hand carved furniture placed around the room that kept the eye moving from one piece to another getting lost in the flow.

On the floor underneath the Shredder's penthouse was built a large training and sparring room which had the same purpose of the dojo in the sewer used by Raphael and his companions. That underground room is on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to this one which is equipped with only the latest and most expensive of weapons and gear used to teach the minions of The Shredder in the ways of combat and stealth. Dozens of heavy bags hung from the ceiling, weight machines were set up on one side of the room and weapons lay in racks attached to the walls. Normally this room would be busy with the sounds of the bags being hit and bodies being thrown to the tatami mat that lay in the center of the room. However, today the area was silent and filled with tension. In the center of the mat was a lone figure dressed in a red gi, the training uniform of a martial artist. He easily stood over six feet tall; however the aura of power he cast made him seem much larger. His long hair was tied up in the traditional top-knot of the samurai. Surrounding this man were seven others each wearing a white gi; the one in red radiated confidence and authority which was contrasted by the others who charged the air with fear and anxiety.

A gong sounded and the man in the center gave a bellowing order, "ATTACK!" Immediately, two of the white garbed fighters, one from each side of the circle, rushed forward with arms raised. The powerfully built loner let loose a side-kick to the knee of his leftward attacker, while simultaneously thrusting out his right hand, fingers fully extended, to the throat to his second oncoming attacker. The knee shattered on the first victim who went down in with an anguished scream; meanwhile the one who attacked on the right gave a gurgled cry and fell holding his throat. The attackers who were left in the circle came up with the same thought of attacking at once together hoping to overcome the far more superior fighter with sheer number. There was a red blur as the intended victim dove and rolled outside of the students', for these were obviously new-coming protégés of the feared Oruku Saki, circle. Immediately coming out of the roll, he jumped, turning in midair, and kicked the nearest body in the side of the head rendering him unconscious. As soon as he landed, he snapped out his front foot into the groin of another student who had just turned to face his soon to be master. With four of their comrades down, the remaining three regrouped and with a show of intelligence stood in a small circle with their backs facing one another. The Shredder feigned to the left distracting their attention in that direction, he then crouched, spun around, and extended his out to foot-sweep a front-most student. As he went down, Shredder stayed low to the ground and came upon him and before the dazed warrior knew what was happening a large fist struck him in the temple adding another body to the ground. The remaining two decided no amount of promised fame or fortune was enough to endure this punishment and turned to run towards the exit. Oruku Saki despises cowards among all things and takes particular offense when those he offers a station in his elite band to embarrass his judgment by running away during an initiation. He coolly walked towards a wall that housed a bow, much like the one on a certain sewer wall, and removed two arrows from the quiver. Knocking the first arrow onto the string, he slowly drew it back, and fired at the student who was in the lead. The arrow struck him just below the ridge on the back of his head, piercing his brain, and killing him instantly. His companion, seeing his mate fall to the ground, skidded to a halt and turned to face his former master.

"Please, Master Shredder…I…I…I'll do anything…just…please don't kill me."

"Your cowardice sickens me and your pleas bring bile to my throat. To think I was going to allow you, an unworthy worm, into my glorious ring causes me to lose face in my own eyes and for that the only redemption is your death." With that, he let fly the second arrow that he had set on the string. The cowering runaway put his hands up out of instinct, but the arrow went right through both hands and embedded in his throat, blood trickled to the floor and bubbled out of his mouth; the body fell back with a loud thud.

Oroku Saki replaced the bow back onto the wall, his darkly shadowed eyes never leaving from the dead bodies littering his training floor. Behind him, the injured from the sparring match were dragging themselves off the straw mat and away from their master; some of the others were still unconscious. Through the silence, for even the injured knew better than to make a sound and earn the attention and ire of The Shredder, the ninja master called out towards an imposing figure standing in the shadows by the doorway.

"Hun! To me."

The giant peeled himself from the dark and walked with surprising grace towards his leader and kneeling down before him with his head bowed.

"Yes, my master."

"Hun, I want you to remove those two wretches and toss them in a ditch someplace as that is the only burial they deserve. Burn the arrows, they have been sullied and are unfit to even touch."

"It will be done, lord."

"Warriors these days are of low stock and have no knowledge of the old ways, of fighting with pride or the thrill of the battle. They only fight for money now. Lost are the days of worthy adversaries and battles of skill."

"As you say, Master Shredder." With a hesitant pause, the man who weighed easily 450 pounds of solid muscle raised his head to look at his leader and instructor. "Lord…speaking of adversaries…"

"Yes, Hun, what is it?" He looked down at his most loyal follower almost knowing what it was he was going to bring up and not relishing the thought.

"The freak has struck at us again. This time in the north docks, our entire shipment ended up in the harbor." Every muscle in his body tensed at the expected explosion of anger that he knew would rise forth from his employer. Instead, a release of breath was all that came out of his massive frame.

"I shouldn't be surprised. He has been locating every one of our warehouses along the harbor for two months now. I don't need a map to know which warehouse he is working his way towards. He seeks vengeance and will stop at nothing till he has it or he is dead. We must make sure that abomination rejoins his filthy family of freaks, Hun. Ready my armor; I feel that before too long we will be having a confrontation with this rogue."

"As you wish, my lord."

The Hun smoothly rose from his kneeling position, bowed to his master, and turned towards the exit. As he passed the two dead bodies of the former initiates, he took a hold of a leg in each hand and dragged them off to be discarded. The Shredder turned to his private exit wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

Casey Jones' name was known throughout the city for his vigilante efforts and many innocents praised him for their lives that he saved. He was also a happy father of an adopted adolescent girl and a husband to one of the most beautiful women in the city. Unfortunately, that was all in better times. Now he is a name on a medical chart and a comatose body in a hospital bed. For years, the ex-athlete went out every night to fight valiantly and selflessly for the safety of innocents. He knew that one day he could end up in this position or even worse as a corpse in a cemetery and yet he still fought on with the mutant turtles that he called friends. On one fateful night five years ago, he and the turtles along with their sensei sought out the Shredder in the hopes that they would end his reign over the city forever. Not one of them could have foreseen the tragedy that struck down three of the turtle brothers and Splinter, while Casey himself was hurt so badly that he ended up here in the Staten Island University Hospital and he still has shown no signs of waking up. All of these thoughts are with April every time she visits her husband.

The brunette took a deep breath to calm her emotions and nerves, something she has to do every time she comes here, before entering. She walked up close to Casey's bed, sat down and took his hand. Looking at him now he looked so weak, a pale version of what he was in life and it always hurt for April to see him this way.

"Hey, Casey. So, how'd your day go?" She started each visit the same way, she was not sure why maybe it just helped to take some of the pain away if she could fool herself into thinking there were two people having a conversation instead of just one talking to a bed full of hope. "Just another busy day in the lab for me. You know, computers, assembly code, all that fun stuff. Shadow got a D on her vocabulary test and I tried to explain the importance of getting good grades, which just set her off and we ended up fighting…" Her voice got quieter as she finished this line and then continued more softly, speaking more to herself, "We always end up fighting, it's all we do anymore. She doesn't even call me 'mom' like she used to." When she uttered this final thought, she broke down and collapsed on Casey's chest. "Oh, Casey! I miss you so much! I can't do this alone! I need you, we all need you!" Her outburst of emotion was cut short as she felt a slight squeeze of her hand, the hand that was holding her husband's. The young woman was stunned at first and then she broke into action, grabbing for the button that would summon the nurses and continued holding it down until a nurse rushed in.

"What? What's wrong, Mrs. Jones?" The flustered nurse looked around the room half expecting the body of Casey Jones to have fallen on the floor or blood considering the way April persistently held the buzzer.

"It's my husband! He squeezed my hand! I felt it! Is he waking up? Why isn't he awake or moving, yet? You have to do something!" She was frantically pulling the nurse towards Casey, urging her to wake up her husband even though he showed no signs of moving. The nurse calmly pulled herself from the frenzied woman's grasp and checked all the equipment to see if indeed there was any increased brain activity.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jones, but nothing on here says he moved at all." Her pitying eyes raised from the monitor to meet April's.

"I felt it, damn it! He moved! Check again! Please!" The nurse could not deny the tears that streamed with hope from the younger woman's eyes and so checked again.

Once again, she shook her head with honest sadness. "I truly am sorry, Mrs. Jones." She took April's hands in her own in an attempt to quiet her. "Sometimes our minds trick us into believing what we want and it can be a cruel trick. I'm not going to say that you didn't feel anything, but it was probably more hope than anything physical and you hold onto that hope, Mrs. Jones, because that can separate the dead from the living." With a final gentle pat on her hands, the nurse left the young woman to her thoughts and emotions as she sank back into her chair..._he squeezed my hand, I know it_…

_"Raph! Come on, we have to get out of here!"_

_"No way! He killed Mikey and Master Splinter! The bastard has to pay, Leo!"_

_"And he will, but we can't do anything now. We are sorely outnumbered and hurting. Donnie has a broken arm for God's sake! We have to go and regroup."_

_"You run if you want, but I'm not letting this murderer go free, not this time! This time he goes down!" With a scream of rage, Raphael leapt into the air over several ninja and towards the armored villain. The Shredder easily sidestepped the kick and delivered a hammer strike down on the turtle's knee. It was instinct that made him turn his leg ensuring it was only broken instead of shattered. His instincts were not enough to save him from the double fanged gauntlet punch that dug two parallel grooves into his shelled chest or the immediately following kick that sent him over the building's edge._

_"RAPH! NO!" Leonardo rushed at the Shredder followed closely by his brother Donatello. They never made it as Foot thugs and ninja swarmed over them, the thugs beating them down with bats and lead pipes and the ninja using various edged weapons to cause gaping wounds in the two turtles. On the sidelines the evil leader laughed while in the alleyway Raphael lay in a heap of trash that softened his fall just enough for him to hear the dying cries of his brothers before passing out._

With a start, Raphael woke up from his seated position and the memory of his dream…no, his past…still haunting him. _Five years later and it still seems like it all happened yesterday, _he thought as he balled up his hands and rubbed his eyes trying to clear the sleep from his mind, as well as the visions. Two fingers traced the scars that never healed on his chest, just more memories from that tragic night. _Geez, I must have dozed off waiting for the goon squad to make their pick up. _He idly grabbed at a cobweb by his head and squinted down at the trio that were standing by the crates in the warehouse, a suitcase was laying on a crate in front of the three dressed in the gang colors of the Purple Dragons. _I wonder where they are, it's not like the Foot ninja to be late for a delivery…ah, spoke to soon, there they are. _His head turned toward one of the darker corners of the structure and noticed a movement there that only a trained eye could see. He watched them stalk down through the rafters and down the walls toward the gang members. This was the moment Raphael was waiting for, he wanted to send a message to their master.

He swung down on a chain that he secured earlier and took out two of the ninjas with a double kick to each of their temples; he knew that he had to take out the ninjas quickly as they would be the tougher to take down of the group, the thugs were nothing. A green-scaled arm launched a vial towards the remaining ninja exploding on impact which emitted a green gas that the masked fighter breathed in as he gasped in surprise. The poison killed him instantly, destroying his central nervous system. With the ninja out of the way for the moment, the gangsters started to back away in fear and were prepared to run. One thug was stopped in his tracks as a sai embedded itself in his chest; he looked down at it in surprise never seeing it leave the mutant's hand. The remaining two, neither one not paying any attention to where he was in relation to the other, turned and collided together with a dull thud. They were dazed from the hit allowing Raphael to finish the job by walking behind them and slamming their heads together rendering them unconscious. He did not care about the thugs, they had no favor with the Shredder and could not deliver his invitation; the ninja, on the other hand, could.

As he stepped past the thug that was holding his sai in his chest, he pulled his weapon out and cleaned it on the youth's shirt. Continuing on up to the two ninja that he knocked out earlier in the fight, the turtle knelt next to the closest, taking a hold of his head in both hands and turned it with a deft move causing a sickening crunch which severed the spinal cord and killing him before the unconscious villain even had a chance to wake. Raphael could not muster any remorse for the lives he took, not so long as they willingly follow one such as Oroku Saki.

A length of rope was hanging by his belt which he took off and straightened out while walking up to the remaining Foot clan member. The ninja got turned onto his stomach and using a series of knots, Raphael tied his legs and arms together and put a loop around his throat so that if he moved or struggled he would effectively strangle himself, it was an old ninja technique for subduing prisoners. Once he knew his captive was secure, the turtle removed another vial which he took the stopper off of and placed under the ninja's nose. The fumes from the bottle awakened the ninja with a gasp and cough.

Raphael knelt down and stared at his tied up victim. "Ah, good to see that you're awake, because I have a very special assignment for you, punk." As he spoke, he displayed a rolled up parchment. "It's so easy, even a slimeball like you can do it with a knife sticking in his back." The ninja's eyes widened as he watched his captor unroll the parchment and felt it get placed on his back. He tried to crane his head to see what was going on, but deep down he knew exactly what was going to happen next. A sharp pain started in the small of his back and shot up through his spine and down his left leg. He screamed in pain and tried to roll away, but every time he moved the ropes pulled tight around his neck forcing him to calm down some. Blood dribbled out of the knife wound and down his side.

"Now, I'm going to cut you loose and I want you to take that little message to the guy who holds your leash. If you hurry, you might just make it before you bleed to death." The ninja felt his binds loosen around his legs as Raphael cut the cord. There was still rope around his arms and neck which prevented him from reaching the knife, but he could now struggle into a standing position. A shove from the reptilian warrior reminded him that he still was not free and had to get back to the Oroku Building before he lost too much blood.

Raphael watched him stagger off and was half tempted to follow him to make sure he made it; however, he had other matters to attend to and as much as he hated to admit it, the Foot Clan were a resilient bunch and expertly trained, so he had no real doubt that the Shredder would get his message. Content that his work here was done, he climbed into the shadows of the rafters and disappeared.

Back inside the Oroku Building, Shredder mind was racing and his patience running out as he sat at his desk. The letter opener that he held was digging into the wooden desk leaving tiny splinters scattered. Although, aside from his agitated hand, he appeared outwardly calm even though his muscles were tensed. His men have not returned yet and they were over half an hour late. Oroku Saki the businessman loathes tardiness and the Shredder does not forgive it.

"Where are they, Hun? This was no small payment that they were collecting and they know of its importance to our profit." His arm twitched, sending the letter opener into a wooden dummy some fifty feet away.

Hun straightened up and looked towards his master and instructor. "I know not, my lord. They have not reported in since they left." Suddenly, he lost some of his posture, knowing his next line would no doubt upset his employer. "I do have my suspicions." He held his breath and waited for Shredder to allow him to speak his thoughts.

The villainous entrepreneur sighed. "You think it was...him…don't you?" The word "him" was spoken with such utter contempt that there could be no denying in Hun's mind that he was talking about Raphael.

"Yes, my lord. He has some how known about almost every one of our pickups these past five months and has been able to intercept most of them. I would not at all be surprised…" His words were cut off by a commotion outside in the dojo. The two men rushed out to see what the noise was all about, further raising Oroku Saki's ire.

In the dojo, students were hurrying over to a crowd of their peers who were forming a circle and looking down at the floor. The irritated headmaster pushed aside students until the rest realized he was trying to get through and then they cleared the way with heads down like a pack of wolves allowing the alpha first cut of a kill. When he finally reached the center of the circle, his eyebrows raised for there on the ground was the ninja that Raphael allowed to escape with his message. He was breathing heavy from the exertion of having to walk a portion of the way back and then crawling the rest. Drops of red trailed from the door to his collapsed body and pooled around him. The tired warrior made an attempt to raise himself up in the presence of his master but only succeeded in getting onto his elbows before falling back to his stomach.

It was not the body of his pupil that caused Shredder to give pause; instead he looked at the parchment on his back stuck there by a small blade. He reached down and yanked the knife out with no regard to his student or a second's thought to the blood that began to pour out without the intrusive metal in the wound to help tide the flow. He cared only for the paper and the words that were written on it; raising it up, he read it.

_We have been thorns in each other's side_

_For too long now, it's time it ended_

_Tomorrow night, midnight, in the warehouse_

_You know which one_

_Just you and me, leave the lapdogs at home_

Eyebrows furled, he handed the parchment to Hun who was only a few feet behind. The behemoth took the note and glanced over it quickly.

"Which warehouse do you suppose he means?" was his only question as he handed the letter back.

"There can be only one that he speaks of. You remember five years ago we face off against this freak and his mutant family. It was there that we put a merciful end to five of his clan, so to him that would be a perfect place for a reckoning. Prepare the Elite Ninja for the final battle in this war. Tomorrow we end his pitiful existence!" The paper was crushed in his fist.

Hun bowed and rose back up. "And what of the messenger, Master Saki, he needs medical treatment?"

Shredder looked down at the black clad body on the floor. "Let him crawl to the health ward. I do not tolerate failure and he allowed himself to be used by the freak. None of you touch him!" A withering glare was leveled at the amassed crowd, and then he turned quickly in a swirl of robes then stalked back to his office to prepare himself.

Beneath the sewer in the lair, Raphael sat at his brother Donatello's old worktable surrounding himself with a variety of electronics and the spotlights that he had stored in the dojo. In front of him was a small device that he had the cover off of and he was carefully adding a piece of solder to one of the components as a final touch. He replaced the soldering iron back onto its stand and took a screwdriver to replace the cover onto the box. Once the cover was back on, Raph turned it over and pressed one of the buttons on the front. One after another the spotlights came on illuminating the entire room to a blinding degree and with the push of another button the lights all kicked off. _You'd be proud Donnie_, he thought with a grin. _Just a few more adjustments and they will completely ready._

"In Japan, monks would seek enlightenment through meditation, but I suppose your way will work too." A voice crept out of the darkness shortly followed by its owner, a large white rabbit that walked upright. Nobody knew for sure where he came from. In life, the four turtles had their theories. Donatello thought that the rabbit came from an alternate dimension that may resemble an older feudal Japan. Michaelangelo held visions of the samurai traveling through time and space to be here. Raphael figured he was just another mutant like them. Leonardo did not really care where he came from, only that he had impressive skills in the martial arts. One thing could be certain and that was he radiated power; even with his calm gait one could tell that he was always at the ready.

"Always the comedian, eh, sensei?"

The samurai smiled and his eyes sparkled with humor. "I came to see if you would be joining us for dinner tonight. Shadow worries about you, as do I."

"I know, but you don't have to. I'm okay." Seeing the look of doubt in his instructor's eyes, he added, "Really. Look, after tomorrow, everything will be okay. I promise."

"Tomorrow. So, you seek to confront your foe then?"

The younger ninja took a deep breath and placed his controller on back onto the table. "Yeah, I have to. I have to make the Shredder pay for my family's deaths. Their spirits call to me, screaming to be avenged." His fists shook with a building fury, a white hand covered his calming him some.

Though Miyamoto Usagi was only just under ten years Raphael's senior, he carried with him experience that was shown in his eyes and through the scars he earned through many battles. It is with this experience that he now spoke.

"My young shugyosha (student warrior), did I ever tell you the story of Koyama Matabei? No? He was a warrior much like you and like you he lost his family to thugs and swore vengeance. He did well living on blind rage and even killed a few of them that way; however, one day he found their camp and was ready to rush in which of course would have been his death. I admired his loyalty and determination, so I stopped him and pleaded sense into him and together we came up with a plan and the entire thug party was either killed or captured, those responsible for the death of Matabei's family were all slain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Usagi's voice had a gravelly quality to it, probably from years of screaming war cries in battle. If Raphael shut his eyes while his sensei spoke, he could almost see his former master, Splinter, talking…he very rarely shut his eyes when the samurai spoke; the memories were just too much. "Yeah, I hear ya and I have that plan, trust me. It's all I've been thinking about for the past five years." He walked over to a book shelf and picked up one of the books that was laying on top; he handed this to his teacher. "I got a lot of great ideas from this book in particular and with your teachings added to what Master Splinter gave to me, I think I have a real good chance."

"The Art of War, ah, an essential read for any warrior." The rabbit ran a hand over his ears which were tied back in the tradition topknot of a samurai and looked his student in the eye seeing a conviction and determination that impressed him. He nodded his head. "Yes, my student, I see you are indeed ready. Go with my blessings and my prayers. I will explain all to young Shadow." He bowed to his student for what he hoped would not be the last time which was returned by the young turtle.

"Thank you, Master Usagi. For everything, without you I would have done this blindly." He bowed once again to show his respect towards his master, then walked off to his room to meditate and prepare himself for the coming battle. Usagi watched him walk off and whispered, "No, thank you my shugyosha for showing me that honor and loyalty are not dead in this cold world."

The following day held the promise of change, whether it be good or bad was anybody's guess. To Shadow, it was just another day as she spent the morning and early afternoon training with Master Usagi. Her tiny frame was pushed to new limits with every session making her stronger both in mind and body. Today was weapon day, she loved it when the ronin (masterless) samurai rabbit would show her weapon techniques, especially the katana and this day was no different. For four hours the sword handle drank in her sweat as she practiced her sword forms. By the end of the training her breath was ragged; her chest rose and fell rapidly and her heavy gi uniform clung to her with sweat.

"You did well today, Shadow. Why don't you get a drink before you pass out?" Usagi was proud of her progress as well as enjoyed her youthful spirit.

"Okay. Where is Raph? I haven't seen him all day and he's usually here to make fun of me while I train. I still say he tripped me last week when I was doing my kata…the stupid jerk."

It was all the rabbit could do to stop himself from laughing since he knew that Raphael did indeed trip her, but he sobered when he realized that he had to tell her where her adopted uncle was this day and his plans for the night as he promised he would. Shadow saw the sudden change in her instructor's face and knew something was up.

"What is it? Is Uncle Raph okay? Nothing happened did it?" There was no point in trying to hide the concern in her voice; it was mirrored in her eyes.

"No, he is okay, but there is something you should know." With a deep breath, he continued. "He plans on facing the Shredder tonight." He watched her, waiting for some sort of reaction. There was none for a while and Miyamoto Usagi feared for second that the news may have been too much at once. He chastised himself for not finding a better way to break it to her. He need not have worried.

"WHAT!?! Is he nuts? The Shredder has like a bazillion ninjas and a fortress! He's going to get himself killed and if he does, then I'm going to kill him!" Despite the severity of the situation, the rabbit warrior could not help but smile.

"He says he has a plan." He said this knowing that it would goad her into another rant, but it was his hopes to steer her away from thoughts of death.

She scoffed at the thought of her uncle actually having a plan for anything. "Oh, I'll bet he does. Just like he had a plan to take me out on the motorcycle last night, but the green twerp forgot all about it. So, what's his plan? Go in and shake his finger at Shredder and say, 'that's a bad ninja, bad and don't let it happen again'?"

"Well, sometimes it's not the path or the journey that matters; it's where they take you that is ultimately the important thing."

This earned him a glare and a stomping of the foot; both her hands balled into fists by her sides. "Dammit, Master Usagi! I'm a twelve year old American girl! I don't even like the fortunes that come with our Chinese food. Could you give it to me a little simpler?"

His eyes shifted to the right and his hands came up with the palms out. He shrugged. "Monks use riddles and wise sounding phrases to say 'I don't know'. I honestly don't know what he plans, but he holds a few advantages and he fights with a purpose." This seemed to placate the young girl a little bit. "And you know, if I ever spoke to my sensei like that, he'd beat red and bloody with a bamboo stick." He chastised.

Shadow just rolled her eyes and shrugged then grinned. "Yeah, well, welcome to America. Does he have a chance and did he say what time this would be happening?"

"I honestly think he does. He fights with heart and courage, not to mention spirit. I believe he mentioned midnight, but he did not say where."

"Let's hope all that heart and spirit doesn't end up on the floor. I'm gonna go for a walk."

Usagi eyes followed her out of the dojo and he once more said a prayer for Raphael's success as he knew the little girl may not be able to handle the loss of another family member.

The reptilian ninja ran across the rooftops, leaping from one to another, thrilling at the wind in his face. He always enjoyed this about being a ninja in New York, who else could experience this feeling? Deep down, he knew he should enjoy this as much as he could considering his destination. He loved Casey like a brother and it always hurt to see him laying in that hospital bed, especially when he witnessed him at the height of his life with a wife and daughter. It was just one more reason the Shredder's life was forfeit and another thought to strengthen his resolve for the upcoming battle.

He finally ended up at the hospital and clinging to the wall outside Casey's room he opened the window and stealthily crept inside. It was times like this he disliked being a mutant turtle as he should not have to sneak in to visit his friend. Years of training allowed him to quietly pad up to the bed and look down upon his friend and brother in arms.

"Tonight's the night, Casey. Tonight he pays for everything he ever took from us. For five years, I've trained and prepared for this day and now I'm finally ready."

"Ready for what, Raph?" The voice came out of no where and startled the turtle causing him to quickly look towards where the words originated. He saw his friend April standing in the doorway. She realized the danger of her mutant friend being seen, so slipped inside and shut the door. "What are you up to now? Please tell me you're not going to do anything stupid." Brows furrowed up with concern.

"You know me. If it isn't stupid, I ain't doing it." Was his shrugged reply hoping to deflect her questions, this was one confrontation he had wanted to avoid. April has lost so much already, he knew that she would not agree with the idea of him going after the Shredder, especially by himself.

"I do know you and from the sounds of it you're going after that bastard aren't you?" Her concern was wiped away by the anger and frustration that was building up inside of her. "He's already killed Leo, Mikey, Donnie and Splinter! Look at Casey!" She pointed at her husband. In the awkward silence a respirator pumped then refilled with air and a monitor beeped. "Is this where you want to end up? He's already stolen so much from our lives and I want him to suffer as much as you, but not at the risk of losing you too." The young brunette's body was shaking with emotions and rather than argue with her, Raphael just walked up to her and hugged her.

"I don't plan on dying today. The only deaths will be Shredder's and his Foot Clan, then maybe we can all sleep a little easier."

"You promise me you're coming back. Promise me, Raph. Otherwise, I'm not letting you leave here." She looked at him with a tear streaked face, but there was a sternness in her eyes that told the turtle that she would do exactly as promised.

He smiled. "I promise. You'll see me at the breakfast table eating a big stack of Shadow's pancakes tomorrow."

"You better be. I know she tries, but that girl just can't cook and there's no way I'm suffering through those alone. I'm pretty sure that Master Usagi is lying about that grain intolerant bull he gave last time." Her green skinned friend laughed happy to have avoided the big scene that he had expected.

"I have to go now and prepare some things." He gave her one final hug, rested a hand on Casey's shoulder for a moment and then as quietly as he came in, he was gone leaving his friends alone.

"Be careful, Raph."

Nightfall finally arrived and Raphael's anticipation was running high. It was only thirty minutes till midnight and he had everything in place, now there was just the wait and somehow he knew he would not have to wait long. The expectant warrior stood on top of a tower just across from the warehouse that he was to fight his enemy with a pair of binoculars surveying the rooftops. His scan passed over the skylight of the storage building when he noticed four figures, three in a crouching position and another standing peering through the skylight, Raph smiled. _What do you know? He's early and he brought friends._

He rummaged through a bag that he had by his feet and removed three cylindrical pieces about a foot long each and screwed them together to form a longer pipe. Attached to the middle section were five darts, one of which he removed and placed into an end of the blow gun and put it to his lips. Eyeing the three, he gauged distance and took aim. Once he knew the target was in sight, he let loose a powerful breath that sent the dart soaring to the nearest ninja and hit home at the base of his skull. The venom from the dart injected into the crouching warrior's veins and sped through his body. The toxin seized up his muscles freezing him in his position and locking his throat preventing the beleaguered ninja from calling out. The poison then began to eat away at his body, in a few moments he would be dead and his companions had no idea that they were next.

Another dart went into the blow gun and was released into a second victim with a third already locked on. The apparent leader of this squad took his attention away from the window to look around the rooftops and glanced over his companions, but in the dark in did not notice anything unusual. However, with his attention no longer on the window but his surroundings, he did hear an almost inaudible _pfft. _This particular ninja was no stranger to sound of a dart being shot and knew immediately that his group was being attacked, he opened his mouth to warn his companions, but it was already too late. His eyes widened as he realized that the trio of ninja close to him was unable to move and may even be dead now. He quickly surveyed the area looking for their attacker, but in the inky blackness of night only saw shadows. All his training slowly seeped from his body to be replaced by fear and the scared human was about to run when a kick to his knee sent him to the ground. His head and shoulders turned to confront the antagonist only to see a blow gun go straight into his eye. Simultaneous to stabbing the ninja with the pipe, Raphael threw a punch into his larynx and crushing the windpipe ceasing any cry of pain from escaping his lungs. To ensure his death, the turtle blew the dart into the elite's brain and left him there in a crumbled pile.

Quickly looking around to make sure that his presence had not been noticed, Raph removed his bag from his shoulder so that he could remove a few items and secure them to his belt. Others he strapped to his back. He then secured a grappling line to an exhaust pipe on the roof and slipped over the edge to scale down the wall to maneuver towards a window that he opened earlier. He locked himself in position to peer into the window in order to make certain the way was clear and seeing that it was he climbed in. Once inside and hidden behind some crates, a pair of night-vision goggles was removed from the belt to be placed on his head. He waited a moment for his eyes to become accustomed to the new view and once they were he surveyed the room. In the rafters, he counted four Elite Ninja waiting for an order. On the ledge with him, but unaware, were another four fighters in each corner of the warehouse. There was still no sign of the Shredder and Raphael thought it would be best to lessen the number of ninja scurrying around.

Blending into the shadows, the green scaled ninja moved towards the nearest Foot member who turned toward him just in time to have his head grabbed and twisted thoroughly breaking his neck. The ninja was slowly lowered to the floor. A shuriken star was flung toward another of the corner ninja and sunk deep into throat taking him out of the fight before it truly began. Raphael worked his way along the walkway using crates and obstacles that he strategically placed hours before to hide his movements. Up above in the rafters, the crouching ninja were getting restless and started to shift their weight from one leg to the other. They were all hoping for their leader to make his arrival and more importantly, the appearance of their foe. At that moment, the main doors of the warehouse crashed open and in strode the Shredder who was flanked by two of his Elite and followed by another as well as the Hun's massive frame.

Using the dramatic entrance of his enemy, Raphael launched two more shuriken only this time aiming for the rafters. The struck ninja fell towards the ground and landed with a dull thud in front of their master as if to welcome his arrival. The Hun immediately moved in front of his employer to block any attack that may be intended. The armor clad villain stood behind his henchman and casually surveyed the rafters and surrounding upper area.

"Come out, freak! I'm here just as you requested. I'm here to send you to meet you mutant family!" He called out loudly and at the mention of his family, the stalking turtle halted in his steps and tensed up. Five years ago, that would have been enough to get him to charge out of the shadows; however, he now had a mission and a purpose that he refused to jeopardize. Instead he removed the electronic box that he was working on all month and turned the spectacles of his night-vision goggles so that the lenses were now an extreme dark, blocking out all sight.

With a finger on the button, he slowly depressed it which sent a signal to the six spotlights scattered around the warehouse. The room was quickly bathed in light that cut through the eyes of the villains who had been sitting in the dark for the past hour. Using the distraction, Raphael picked off the rest of the ninja in the rafters with a bow, the same one that Splinter himself used in the fight half a decade ago. He quickly turned to those in the two far corners and neatly placed an arrow in each of their heads.

By now, those below had gotten used to the sudden light and spotted the mutant turtle. Shredder pointed him out and ordered his death. Just as the three Elite sprang into action the lights kicked off and darkness lay over them all like a thick blanket causing them to stumble into each other. Rather than waste this moment on the lackeys of his enemy, Raph decided to take out the Hun who could be a bigger fight than a dozen of Shredder's best students. He quickly threw off the goggles and nocked an arrow letting it fly into the Hun's chest causing him to stagger back. His life was not even a concern only that of his lord mattered so he remained in front of him and took another one in the throat followed by one to his eye. Even one such as the Hun could not take three vital hits to his body and survive for long. Only the sheer size and muscle of his body kept him up, but eventually he had to fall. In the matter of minutes, the strategies and planning of one turtle reduced the army of ninjas down to four. Unperturbed by the seeming decline of the battle, the Shredder ordered his three guards back to him and removed a small round object from his belt. Judging roughly where his foe might be based on the angle the arrows hit, he tossed the ball up towards the second floor.

Raphael saw something being thrown toward him and he knew immediately that it was either an explosive or a gas grenade, either way he had to move or this fight could take a turn away from his favor. The ball struck the ground and exploded on impact causing the whole section of old flooring to fall, taking the evading turtle with the debris. He landed on his feet and took a diving roll to absorb the impact of the fall finishing on his feet in a ready position with a katana in hand.

The three attacked as one with the Shredder looking on. Raph side-stepped to the right and brought the sword up across chest of the nearest attacker, then back down in a swipe that removed the head of the injured warrior. This move left his right side open to attack which one of the ninja took advantage of by punching him. The turtle brought his elbow down hard on the antagonist's shoulder; this was returned with a strike to Raphael's stomach which would normally have been a skilled counter; however, the turtle's stomach was protected by a layer of boney material. Unaffected by the strike, he was open to counter with a knee to the Elite's chin, snapping his head back which Raphael struck even harder cracking the top two vertebrae of his spine, paralyzing the ninja from the neck down.

While entangled with one ninja, the other two moved in with drawn swords. Just as the reptilian ninja recovered from the first attack, another came in and cut his arm leaving a gash in his scaly skin. He stabbed forward with his own katana which was blocked down. Continuing the motion, Raph spun around and kicked out into the groin of the other oncoming attacker which knocked the fight out of him enough for the turtle to hack down and through his neck adding another head to the floor. There was not enough time to recover and a sword blade stabbed into Raphael's shoulder causing him to drop his katana. He clenched his teeth in pain, then reached behind himself and pulled out a nunchaku swinging it up and around toward the ninja's temple; it landed with a solid crack. He easily circled around the dazed man and brought his palm up to connect with the base of his skull. The strike caused pinpoints of light in the evil ninja's brain and eyes. Before he could get his bearings again, Raphael let out two quick shots to the other's kidneys focusing all his energy on the spots. Under the strain of the hits the kidneys exploded inside his body and the ninja stood for a short time before collapsing.

Standing victorious among the dead, the mutant turtle reached down to retrieve his katana and glanced up to see if his main opponent moved at all. Shredder stood before him just twenty feet away unmoving, uncaring that his entire army of best trained warriors could not bring down this one lone fighter. He sized up the young turtle as he had been during the fighting. The calculating warlord had planned on losing most if not all of the ninja in this fight, they were just pawns. The loss of Hun was unfortunate and regrettable, but so long as this bothersome gnat was dealt with tonight Shredder could easily recover. Red blood contrasted on the green scales and Shredder was pleased to see his quarry was badly wounded thinking this fight would be over that much sooner.

"I must say, you've improved over the years freak. You are still no match for me and soon I will finish what should been ended years ago."

The turtle's eyes narrowed to slits "Funny, I was going to say pretty much the same to you. Let's end this!" He let out a great yell that carried with it five years of pain, sorrow and rage. All the soreness from his arm was gone and all that mattered was the target before him. The two ran at each other, Raphael with his katana and Shredder with his bladed gauntlets. They met with a terrible ringing of metal on metal as the man blocked the downward strike of the reptile. Raph immediately ducked down low and spun in an attempt to catch his opponent with a foot sweep which he just jumped over. As he was in the air, Shredder snapped out his foot to catch the turtle in the head sending him reeling back. He stood up just in time to receive a kick to his chest which put him back further. This time he recovered more quickly and jumped into a diving roll away from the advancing human. He came out of the roll and did a 180 degree turn with the sword blade spinning parallel to the ground. The katana found its mark and the razor edge cut through the armor on the Shredder's shoulder biting in his arm and holding fast.

Shredder turned fast from the pain wrenching the blade from his foe's hands. With a grunt he pulled the sword from his shoulder and tossed it toward the building's entranceway. His enemy wasted no time and continued his attack with a flurry of punches and ended with a double strike to the armored chest causing him to stagger back giving the reptile the upper hand. He was about to continue the assault when he became surprised with an advance by the Shredder who leaped forward with a punch. Caught off guard like he was, the blades of the gauntlet pierced the thin shell of his chest and punctured a lung. It was followed by another punch that cut into his stomach. The human opponent lifted the turtle up and swung him into a nearby support pillar. The pain was all over his body, but all he could think of was his failure at vengeance. He struggled against the hold, unfortunately the blades were too deep and the Shredder was too strong. Blood coursed down his body to pool onto the floor leaving him like his chances for success at victory.

"It seems so sad that you take all this time and effort only to fail at the critical moment. What have you done here tonight? Took away a few of my men? They are nothing and can be replaced. You did give me a gift though. By fighting me tonight I will now have you out of my affairs forever." He was about to release one hand and deliver the final blow when he suddenly stopped. His head jerked back and he tried turning just as a sword point came throw his stomach. Raph looked past the Shredder's shoulder and saw a rage filled Shadow holding the discarded kitana. In the heat of the battle neither fighter noticed her entrance into the building, nor that she picked up the blade and ran at the man holding her friend. With every little bit of strength she could call up she plunged the blade into his back and through his body.

Using Shadow's needed distraction, Raphael reached back and took a hold of his sai blade handles. In one smooth motion he pulled them loose and arced his arms up. Feeling movement from his captured prey, Shredder moved his attention from the little girl and back to the turtle just in time to see two thin blades come down on him. They entered in at an angle on each side of his body where the shoulder meets the neck and went past the collar bone to pierce his lungs. Blood bubbled from his mouth under his steel mask and dribbled down his chest. His hold on Raphael weakened allowing him to fight free. The Shredder made a movement as if to attempt another attack only to merely fall onto his back sending the katana further into his body and then he was still.

The wounded turtle rested his back on the pillar, his friend forgotten at the moment and he just took relief in the fact that it was finally over. He was reminded by Shadow's presence when she came running up to him.

"Raph! Oh, my God, you're hurt and bleeding! We need to get you to a hospital or something!" Her hands and eyes went to every wound to see the severity of them…it was bad and Raphael knew it.

"Calm down kid. I'll be fine." This was a lie and the young girl knew it. He was going to die and was not going to fight it at all. Tiny rivers flowed down her face and fell to mingle with the blood on her wounded friend.

"So this is it, huh? You're just going to leave me here alone?" Her tiny arm wiped away at the tears not wanting to Raph to see her sadness, to show him her strength.

"You won't be alone. As long as you remember me, I'll always be with you in here." His finger tapped her heart before he was wracked by a fit of coughing which he covered with one hand. The hand came away with specks of dark crimson and he knew it did not have much time. "Promise me something, okay?"

As strong as she was trying to be, the pain was too much for a young girl to hold in and it resonated in her voice. "What?"

"That you'll keep training with Master Usagi. You're the last of our line now and I know you'll do us proud. And that you'll take care of your mom for me, she's going to need you."

"That's two things." She attempted to add some humor to the moment to deflect the emotions that were assaulting her.

Her comment got a slight smile from Raphael. "Yeah, well, I have faith that you can do it." The light in his eyes was slowly fading and his breathing became more shallow. "Tell your mom I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise." The words came out as a whisper and his hands inched closer to the floor as strength abandoned him.

Shadow took his hand in hers, the sadness completely washed over her now and salty tears went unchecked. "Okay. I will." It was a simple reply, but she had to fight past the choking sobs to get it out.

Looking past her and at nothing in particular, he let out one final breath. "I'm coming my brothers." With that his spirit escaped the mortal realm, leaving a sad little girl all alone in the dark warehouse. She got up and knew that her friend deserved a better parting than this. Gazing around the storage space she saw several crates that appeared to be empty. She ran over to two of the larger ones and pushed them together with her tiny body shaking with the exertion, but this was for her "Uncle Raph" and she would not fail. She moved a couple others to act as steps and once she was satisfied with the results ran over to his body. Grabbing under his arms, she lifted him up as best she could and struggled to get him on top of the makeshift pyre. Once she had him settled, the little girl jumped down and searched out for some way to light it. Shadow found a case of flares and thought they would work perfectly. She lit one and placed it at the base of the crates until they caught, then scattered a couple more to help the fire grow. She stood watching for a moment and then turned to leave to warehouse, but before she did a few more flares were tossed around the warehouse setting the whole thing ablaze. She nodded her approval and then exited the building to go home to the only family she had left…her mom.


End file.
